Canada's National Indigenous Bishop to Speak at Practical Peacebuilding Event

The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald, the Anglican Church of Canada’s first National Indigenous Bishop, will deliver the opening keynote address at Practical Peacebuilding, a new joint program of Candler and The General Theological Seminary (GTS).Practical Peacebuilding, which takes place January 9-12 at the Desmond Tutu Center on the GTS campus in New York, is an ecumenical program designed for clergy, other church leaders, and anyone interested in learning practical skills in conflict transformation. Registration will remain open beyond the November 15 deadline as long as space remains. There are limited slots available.

As National Indigenous Bishop, MacDonald serves as pastoral leader to the Indigenous Peoples in the Anglican Church of Canada. Members include people of the First Nations, including the Inuit of the Arctic regions, the Métis and others of mixed heritage. Prior to assuming this office in 2007, MacDonald served 10 years as Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Diocese of Alaska and in numerous other ministerial positions in Canada and the United States.

“Bishop MacDonald is a deep and dynamic speaker who is deeply involved in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission addressing the abuses and hardships suffered by students of the residential schools for Aboriginal peoples in Canada,” said the Rev. James H. Reho, chaplain and director of Pastoral Care, Deployment, and Formation at GTS. “His sensibilities around indigenous Christianity and its role in the larger church and culture bring a critically important perspective to our Practical Peacebuilding curriculum.”

Two Candler faculty will lead the program. Luther E. Smith Jr., professor of church and community, is a renowned expert on congregational renewal, community activism, and the spirituality of theologian Howard Thurman. Ellen Ott Marshall, associate professor of Christian ethics and conflict transformation, is a leading authority on religious peacebuilding and conflict transformation.